Daily Devotion for July 15, 2015
Prayers
Scripture
Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along;
Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,
God leads His dear children along.
Refrain:
Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.
Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,
God leads His dear children along;
Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night,
God leads His dear children along.
Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,
God leads His dear children along;
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.
Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity’s day,
God leads His dear children along.
Music and Lyrics by George A. Young, 1903
Rise Up!
Rise up, oh children of light, and let us give glory to the Lord, who alone can save our souls. O Lord, as you withdraw sleep from the eyes of my body, grant me wakefulness of mind so that I may stand before you in awe and sing your praises worthily, all of this day.
For Protection of Body and Soul
Heavenly Father, I give you thanks for the protection you give me. You protect my body from the mighty forces of the universe that would kill me in an instant, with your good earth you have freely given me. You sustain my life with air, food, water, the shining sun and the gentle rain, the rich earth that grows my food. You protect my body from disease and trauma by the miracle of healing and the wonders of science.
Most of all, I thank you for preserving me from evil, the preservation of my soul; for the enemies of my soul abound on this earth, and often, I would do the damage myself. I pray that I have wisdom sufficient to allow you to do your will, and enter me, and protect my soul from dangers within and without by your infinite power. Let me put on your armor every day, and with your help and the forgiving grace of my savior, Jesus Christ, be kept pure, so that I may one day come before you in perfect joy.
In the name of the same Jesus Christ, I pray,
Meditation
[The enemies of the soul.]
Dedication
All through this day, O Lord, by the power of your quickening Spirit, let me touch the lives of others for good, whether through the word I speak, the prayer I speak, or the life I live.
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
What is Faith?
Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.
~ Max Lucado
Exodus 27 (ESV)
The Bronze Altar
[Excerpts are given here. If you want to read all of Exodus 27, click the link or go to your own Bible.]
“You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits.
And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. You shall also make for it a grating . . . .
The Court of the Tabernacle
You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits [about 150 feet] long for one side. Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. . . .
Oil for the Lamp
You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.”
Notes on the Scripture
The altar was fundamentally a barbecue grill almost eight feet square. At different times and in different ways, the Old Testament teaches both the Hebrews and us an important, and often difficult, truth: God gave us life and He will not hesitate to take this life away. Our lives are His to take, if we offend Him, and He will allow the sinful to die (or, sometimes, kill them Himself).
If we have sinned, the only way God will allow us to live is by redemption: something must die in our place. This may not make complete sense, it might not be how we would do things, we might not think it is fair — but there you have it. One of the great themes of the Old Testament is redemption by substitution. God decrees that the Hebrews may offer the life of an animal to redeem their own life.
The laws of sacrifice are often quite specific. Some offerings to God are sacrifices for redemption, although some are simply gifts of thanks. In most cases, either the person making the sacrifice or the priests, or both, are allowed to eat part of the sacrifice, to share with God a meal of joy that the offeror's life has been redeemed.
Moreover, we see that worship is a community function. The primary worship is not done at home by an individual or family, but in public. There is one central altar for sacrifice. It is located in a great courtyard in front of the Tabernacle proper, to accommodate a crowd.
Finally, God never sleeps and His door is never closed. A lamp inside the Tabernacle was lit with the purest olive oil, to produce the cleanest flame they could manage. It was the duty of the priests — Aaron and his sons — to make sure that the lamp never went out at night. This symbolized that God's light was upon the Hebrew people at all times, from the sun by day and a special lamp by night, just as the light of His spirit is now upon us without ceasing.
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